Nashua Reporter

New Hampton Tribune

Go time for musical

Fri, 11/10/2017 - 1:00pmBob Fenske

Actors, directors have a little fun as they prepare for performances

By:

Bob Fenske

Maybe only those who have been in plays and musicals will appreciate the story, but honestly, half the fun — maybe more — of being a “drama person” is the off-the-wall stuff that takes place at rehearsals.

So as members of the cast, crew and pit orchestra prepared for this weekend’s two performance of “The Beauty and the Beast,” they kept the mood light at times.

Take Tuesday night, for example.

Sure, the New Hampton High School musical was a mere three days away from taking the stage, but as volunteer assistant director Kayla Reetz filled in for an ill student — a male, we might add — and read lines for Eric Heeren and Jeffrey Reicks, the auditorium burst out in laughter.

Reicks’ line ended with him looking at Reetz and calling her “monsieur.”

Reetz completely and utterly deadpanned, “That’s madame to you.”

Reicks tried to keep a straight face, but in the end, he completely and utterly failed.

“I think that humor is such a big part of any production but especially this production,” said Melissa Nelson, who co-directs the play with Jill Cantu. “Beauty and the Beast is hard, and these kids have put countless hours into it. They need to laugh sometimes.”

Nelson paused and laughed.

“Or maybe we’re so tired we find everything funny.”

Both she and Cantu, though, are excited to show the community a group of talented and dedicated students, and she’s hoping for big crowds both tonight [Friday] and Saturday.

She’ll certainly get her wish tonight as ticket sales have been brisk, but there are still plenty of good seats available for Saturday’s performance. The curtain goes up at 7 each night.

“We still have some kinks to work out,but we’re close, really close,” Nelson said. “We have to be; it’s go time, isn’t it?”

It certainly is, and she hopes New Hampton and the surrounding area will turn out in full force this weekend.

“I love these kids and I love their dedication to this,” she said. “People who haven’t been in plays don’t realize how much they put into this. Trust me, they deserve a full house.”